Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-09-10
Custer County Gold Mines.


are sorry to say, by reason Of their cur
rent product, but for their undeniable
capacity to produce. An extended
description Of the Grand junction and
Penobscot mines, with brief outline of
their history is given, which we infer
from its accuracy, was written by one
familiar with the subject as with the
exception Of the mistake in locating the
Grand Junction mine in Pennington
county, and possibly estimating the ore
a trifie too low, the statements may, in
the main, be accepted as correct The
mine in question is in Custer county,
seven miles northwest of Custer City
the mill only. by being remotely located,
is a tritle north of the Custer county
line. When the fact is considered that
the ore of this mine has returned as
high as So per ton when milled under
the adverse circumstances referred to
by the writer, we deem it safe to con-
clude, that larger return might
very reasonably be expectee, when
treated in approved mills of greater
gold saving capacity. Referring to the
Grand Junction the writer says:
"The ore body is fissure 40 feet in
width on the surface, cropping out the
full length of the locations. On the sur
face and near it the ore is hard and
white quartz. At depth of 40 feet it
changes to yellow decomposed quartz
very easily milied, with nothing Of a
refractory nature about it, free milling
throughout. On this property there has
been two mills erected, the hrs;, %
stamper, was moved down froLl the
northern Hills after being worn out
here, and erected . na.s ,uile from the
mine, where it was an a year, but the
owners having gone in aebt for the mill
and deveiopme mt WORK. were Compelled
TO sell out, mine and mill for what they
could get which was not mach, and left
in disgust. he second mill, a 40-stamp,
also an old worn out mill from the up
gU.ch, was erected mile and quarter
from the n:ie, Il gravity tramway built
at great expense to connect mill and
mine. At the mill end of the tramway
q thirteen nunare1 foot steel wire cable
was used, operated by the engine in the
mill 20 raise and lower the ore cars. A /
ditch two miles in length and very
expensive one was made to convey
water to the mill from Spring creek.
The mill ran but six months Wien
operations of every character cea sed,
and we understand have remained idle
to this time. The property is owned by
.n~k, ha
occasionally TO see that the mine and
mill have not left the country. The
reasons for the suspension, We under
stand, to have been expense in convey
ing ore from mine to mill, breakage and
wear out of portions of the tramway and
mill, and the low grade Of the ore in the
mine. The ditch could have been made
to the mine as easily as to where the
mill vas placed. The mill could have
been erected at the mine as cheaplv as
where it was placed and the cost of the
tramway would more than have driven
in a 300-foot tunnel that would have
connected mill with the ore body. If
this had been done the Grand Junction
would be bullion producer to day
The mill consisted in the start Of three
old worn out quartz mills combined in
one. The engine was too small and
light for the power required, was con-
tinually on strain when in operation
and was continually getting out of order
The ore body is very extensive one,
that will on "a good mill average So
ton, and the ore can be mined and mill
ed at a cost not to exceed 81 so ton"
With reference to the Penobscot the
Times says:
"By way Of variety and to call the at
tention Of the public to group of mines
in the southern Hills, that the Times re-
porter is familiar with, we have with
no little trouble obtained facts and
figures that will convince the most
skeptical that all that is required is
capital knowledge and pluck To make
the Penobscot group Of mines bullion
producers, equaling anything in the
northern Hills, and We stand ready and
will be only too glad To furnish evidence
of the statements we will make. There
are three claims, the Penobscot, Gar
field and Valley Chief. They are
patented and unincumbered, are seven
miles northwest from Custer City. In
1881 John Fortune and j. j. Sutherland
of this city, obtained the mines through
purchase, tore down an old 25-stamp
mill that stood at Lead City, an old rat
trap of a mill, with stamps that weighed
but $50 pounds, mill that was made by
Frazer and Chalmers in 1868 for Colora-
do parties, one of the first that was
taken to Colorado. The mill was put
up on the Penobscot and operated by
Fortune q Sutherland until the spring
of 1884. Ten stamps were as many as
could be dropped at one time, from the
fact that portions were continually CIV
ing out and the broken and worn out
portions were supplemented by parts
taken from the other batteries until
none Of them could be operated,
when the plant was closed up for
good, and it remains closed to this day.
The ore body is true fissure vein show
ing upon the surface only by stringers
of ore that cropped out, in small por-
tons. The top of the vein seemed,
after it was opened out, to be in the
form of an arch on top, covered with
barren rock, through which the string
ers Of ore mentioned showed up. At
this time there is an open ore chamber
one hundred feet deep from the surface
to the bottom, ninety feet long, sixty
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